cruises

With a capacity of 5,300 passengers she is currently one of the biggest cruise ships afloat. And while being designed for the European mass cruise market, sailing onboard MSC Seaview proved to be quite a pleasant experience as we found out during our latest Mediterranean cruise in November 2018. Let me show you around … Continue reading →

Like this:

She is one of the most legendary and luxurious sailing yachts in the world. And by far, MSY Sea Cloud 2 makes your jaws drop wherever this magnificent beauty appears. Even if not carrying full sails, her sleek and elegant appearance is an eye-catcher in any port. And once you will know what is waiting inside, you will understand that fairy-tale wishes do come true when sailing the seven seas. Continue reading →

Like this:

There is no such thing as a mid-day arrival after a Transatlantic passage into the harbor of New York City and therefore a bucket list item for everyone! I remember how disappointed we were upon check-in in Southampton, that our scheduled overnight stay on the Bermudas had to be cancelled due to heavy storms over the Atlantic Ocean. And that the ship had to evade towards Madeira instead. But what was a tremendous frustration at first sight, turned out to be a marvelous day-time experience that most cruisers do not get to see when crossing the Atlantic. Continue reading →

Like this:

With her summer deployment to the port of Hamburg, Norwegian Jade has returned this year to Northern Europe offering seven to twelve days cruises to Norway, Iceland and the British Isles. After an extensive dry dock in early 2017, the ship aims to bring the contemporary Norwegian Cruise Line style to the 2006 built vessel. Reason enough to take a look at what has changed since I had last cruised on her a few years ago and a great place to reunite with my great friends Steve and David during a short hop from Southampton to Hamburg. Continue reading →

Like this:

Having been loyal Celebrity Cruises guests and becoming tired of the brand´s service decline, we were looking for an adequate alternative in terms of a luxurious resort ship cruise experience, yet with a classy and more conventional touch. And without being dusty, Holland America Line´s newest fleet addition, MS Koningsdam, provided us with a modern approach to traditional cruising that we were looking for and a quality that had been long-lost on all the Celebrity Cruises vessels. Step onboard with me and experience MS Koningsdam, HAL´s new flagship. Continue reading →

Like this:

Just having returned from a beautiful Mediterranean cruise aboard Celebrity Equinox a few days ago (yes, there will be a blog post about this trip!), I could not miss out to gather any new information from the crew onboard concerning Celebrity Cruises´ well guarded secret Project EDGE. Continue reading →

Like this:

Just a few weeks ago, I had the chance to experience MSC Cruises´ latest fleet addition, MSC Preziosa, on a mini cruise from Barcelona to Genoa. The ship, which was originally ordered by the Lybian General National Maritime Transport Company (GNMTC) as MS Phoenicia in 2010, was introduced to the MSC fleet in 2013.

MSC Preziosa and Mein Schiff 4 in the Port of Barcelona

After the completion of the ship´s hull, the political instability in the Near East, also referred to as the Arabic Spring, left GNMTC penniless and MS Phoenicia without a future. Continue reading →

The first time I met MS Astor was during the birthday celebrations of the Port of Hamburg back in 2011 . I had two ship visits that day and was running late, but apart from only catching a few glimpses of the Grand Dame of cruise ships (as TransOcean Kreuzfahrten refers to her), I have made only positive memories during my very short stay onboard. At that time, MS Astor was fully sailing for the German cruise market under the TransOcean brand and had just emerged from a multi-million dry-dock refurbishment. Continue reading →